This invention relates to heat-sealable laminates. These heat-sealable laminates may be used to provide pictorial and/or print designs or messages (e.g., labels, decals, etc.) that can be adhered to substrates (e.g., metal, plastic, leather, paper or textile substrates) such as automotive interior surfaces, hard plastic component parts, consumer durable goods, and other identification systems.
Heat-sealable labels are used in automotive interiors to provide instructional and/or warning labels on seat belts, visors, dashboards, and the like. A typical construction for these labels is illustrated in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, label 100 has a paper carrier 110 and a release coating 120 adhered to one side of the paper carrier 110. Ink or graphics layer 130 is adhered to the release coating 120 and heat-activatable adhesive layer 140 is adhered to ink or graphics layer 130. The label 100 is placed on substrate 150 (e.g., seat belt, visor, etc.) with the adhesive layer 140 in contact with the substrate 150. Heat and pressure are applied to the label 100 through the paper carrier 110 to heat seal the label 100 to the substrate 150. The paper carrier 110 is then removed from the heat-sealed label. The release coating 120 separates with the paper carrier 110. The ink or graphics layer 130 and adhesive layer 140 remain adhered to the substrate 150.
These prior art heat-sealable labels have a number of disadvantages. These include the fact that the ink or graphics layer 130 cannot be seen through the paper carrier 110 during the application of label 100 to the substrate 150. This can result in an imprecise placement of the ink or graphics layer 130 on the substrate 150. The ink or graphics layer 130 as applied to the substrate 150 tends to conform to the surface contours of the substrate 150 and when the surface is not smooth, (e.g., when the substrate 150 is a foam-backed polyester automotive interior material) the pictorial design and/or print message provided by the ink or graphics layer often appears to be fuzzy or out of focus. Once applied to the substrate 150, the ink or graphics layer 130 tends to have poor chemical resistance and durability (e.g., poor abrasion resistance) characteristics, and poor opacity.
This invention relates to a heat-sealable laminate, comprising: a facestock having an upper surface and a lower surface; a heat-activatable first adhesive layer underlying the lower surface of the facestock; and a second adhesive layer overlying the upper surface of the facestock; with the proviso that the laminate is characterized by the absence of either an adhesion promoting layer or an abrasion-resistant transparent coating layer positioned between the upper surface of the facestock and the second adhesive layer.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate further comprises an adhesion promoting layer positioned between the upper surface of the facestock and the second adhesive layer.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate further comprises an abrasion-resistant transparent coating layer positioned between the upper surface of the facestock and the second adhesive layer.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate further comprises an ink or graphics layer positioned between the upper surface of the facestock and the second adhesive layer.
In one embodiment, the heat-activatable first adhesive layer is adhered to the lower surface of the facestock and the inventive laminate further comprises an ink or graphics layer adhered to the heat-activatable first adhesive layer on the side of the heat-activatable first adhesive layer that is opposite the side of the heat-activatable first adhesive layer that is in contact with the facestock.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate further comprises an ink or graphics layer positioned between the lower surface of the facestock and the heat-activatable first adhesive layer.
In one embodiment, the heat-activatable first adhesive layer is adhered to the lower surface of the facestock and the inventive laminate further comprises an ink or graphics layer positioned between the upper surface of the facestock and the second adhesive layer, and another ink or graphics layer adhered to the heat-activatable first adhesive layer on the side of the heat-activatable first adhesive layer that is opposite the side of the heat-activatable first adhesive layer that is in contact with the facestock.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate further comprises a carrier sheet overlying the second adhesive layer.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate further comprises an ink or graphics layer overlying the upper surface of the facestock and an adhesion promoting layer positioned between the ink or graphics layer and the upper surface of the facestock.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate further comprises an ink or graphics layer overlying the upper surface of the facestock and an abrasion-resistant transparent coating layer positioned between the ink or graphics layer and the second adhesive layer.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate further comprises a transparent film layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, and another adhesive layer adhered to the lower surface of the transparent film layer, the another adhesive layer being positioned between the transparent film layer and the upper surface of the facestock.
In one embodiment, the inventive laminate is adhered to a substrate.
These heat-sealable laminates may be used to provide pictorial and/or print designs or messages (e.g., labels, decals, etc.) that can be adhered to substrates (e.g., metal, plastic, leather, paper or textile substrates) such as automotive interior surfaces (e.g., seat belts, visors, dashboards, headrests, seat-backs, door panels, headliners, carpet, flooring, seat covers, etc.), hard plastic component parts (e.g., appliance parts, motor fluid caps, engine housings, etc.), consumer durable goods (e.g., helmets, vacuum cleaners, sports equipment, etc.), other identification systems (e.g., livestock tags, lock box tags, etc.), and the like.